ANtaGoN1sT
Prologue There is no such thing as a quiet rainforest night. Insects sang in the trees, rodents rustled in the foliage, birds and primates screeched at each other as they flitted from branch to branch - the RainWings slumbered peacefully, however, curled in leafy hammocks and sprawled across thickly woven platforms. Colours curled and twisted along their scales, green and red and orange and whatever else they might have been feeling as they traipsed along in their dreams... Lavender furled her wings tightly to her body as she swung from tree to tree. She passed scores of sleeping dragons, all of them with that same idiotic smile of pure bliss on their faces - her own heart churned in anxiety. She couldn't help it - she had ''to check on her egg, no matter how many strange and awkward stares she got in return. It had started as small, quick visits. She would poke her head into the hatchery, instantly finding her egg in the sea of shimmering white - she had marked it with crushed flower petals, so that she wouldn't lose it to some ''other ''unhatched dragonet. But then the visits grew longer, more frequent. Even when she was away, fruit gathering or venom practicing or whatever, her mind had remained in that hatchery, fretting over the egg, causing her so much ''stress ''and stupid ''anxiety... The other RainWings had first dismissed this behaviour as a short-lived bout of paranoia, but then they grew a little suspicious, and began to avoid Lavender whenever they had the opportunity. Many pointed glares followed, many whisperings and murmurings and pointed claws - RainWings didn't do ''parenting, after all. It was unnatural. ''Just a few minutes, ''she told herself. ''I'll only stay a few minutes, no one will even notice... The hatchery loomed ahead, a little forboding in the dimly lit night. She gulped once and folded her wings as she ducked into the massive space, her prehensile tail whispering along the leafy floor. Her scales were emerald green - fear - and dark purple...guilt? What has that have to do with anything? No one even knows I'm here... Nevertheless, Lavender's heart pounded as she found the egg. Although it was hard to tell in the moonlight, she could still see the streak of pale, watery violet on its smooth shell, and her talons closed around it instantly...my egg, ''she thought, brushing it gently with one of her wings. ''My dragonet. It rocked once, as if in response to her thoughts, and a sizeable crack arched across its surface. What in the moons...? Had she broken it? Had she cracked it against her wing, or her tail, or a careless claw? Or was this supposed to happen? Lavender wasn't sure. She had never witnessed an egg hatching - even if she had, it was still a few days early...what if I did something wrong? ''she thought, feeling vaguely nauseous. ''What if the other RainWings were right - what if there really ''is ''a reason...? Her thoughts stopped there as the entire shell splintered into a thousand moon-pale shards. The dragonet - her ''dragonet - was ''beautiful. He ''was beautiful and perfect and worth ''every single moment of those moonsbegotten glares. Lavender stroked his head softly, hardly daring to breathe. He really was perfect - miniscule fans, lime green scales, large, curious eyes that took in everything, everything, from the moons to the plants, to his own mother, who loomed above him like a huge, dark shadow. Squeaking once, the small RainWing curled his tail around him, looking just like a little chameleon. Chameleon... "...your name is Chameleon, little one," she whispered, bending down to meet his gaze. "My Chameleon." He squeaked again, sounding a little more cheerful - his scales didn't change, though, not even when she poked him. Curious... A horrible, horrible thought came to Lavender's mind. She couldn't shake it. She couldn't push it back into the darkness from which it came. What if...what if he was broken? She set him down gently. His scales still remained that stubborn green - clashing with the foliage beneath him, he looked around at the other eggs, then sneezed. It was a small sound, an innocent sound...she backed up slightly, tears coming to her eyes. It's my fault, ''she hissed to herself. ''It's my stupid, stupid fault. My punishment. '' ''I have to protect him. She held him tight to her chest again, hardly daring to breathe. No one will hurt you, ''she thought fiercely. ''No one. Chapter One Seven Years Later... Chameleon brushed his parakeet-coloured talons against the surface of the water, attempting to wash his claws without catching sight of his reflection. Several RainWings flitted above him, swinging from tree to tree like a multicoloured group of monkeys - and, like a multicoloured group of monkeys, they stopped some ways away and ogled at him openly, rudely, horridly... "What is wrong ''with it?" a young, violet-coloured dragoness asked, pointing at him. "We don't speak of it," a placid-looking blue dragon hushed her. "Come along, Liana, you have fruit gathering to practice..." He gave Chameleon a fearful half-glance as he bustled Liana away - Chameleon poked the moist earth around the puddle, feeling his scales flush. He wished Lavender was still there - she had always been kind to him - ''motherly, ''even. But she had been expelled from the rainforest several months ago...taking whatever happiness he had felt along with her and vanishing without a trace. He had tried to follow her, even if she had told him not to - but Lavender was clever, and she had camouflaged herself from him, disappearing into the wind currents like a leaf from a banyan tree... Chameleon shook the droplets off his claws. ''Stop it, ''he thought irritably. ''She's not coming back. '' He folded his wings and stood up, and what seemed like a thousand scales flickered in and out of his vision. He was being followed again - wherever he went, ''they ''followed him, the ogling, whispering, horrified RainWings who teased and prodded and poked him like he was some strange, grotesque bug on their favourite kind of papaya. Sighing, Chameleon spread his wings and lifted into the sun-filled air, just as an older dragon appeared beside him. "Tapir?" "The queen wants to see you," Tapir hissed, curling his ancient talons inwards and giving the lime green RainWing a venomous glare. "Which one?" "Her Majesty, Queen Dazzling - it's her month...but you wouldn't know that, would you?" Tapir continued on maliciously, relish filling his voice. "Confined as you are to the edges of the rainforest, tut tut...why don't you just ''leave, no one wants you here anyways..." A chorus of snickers filled the space around them, and Chameleon felt his face heat up even more. "Where might I find the queen?" he asked carefully. Tapir's toothy grin widened. It gave the elderly RainWing an evil, vicious look. "Follow me." Heart sinking, Chameleon followed Tapir into the heart of the jungle. The wind was warm and moist, lifting his wings above the emerald coloured leaves - if my scales could change, I would be all the colours of the sun and the trees, ''he decided. ''Red and white and blue and green...I would be the most colourful, most beautiful dragon in the world, I think, never the same colour twice... His fantasy continued on in his head as Tapir grilled him about how stupid and awful and disappointing he was. They landed on a platform that was a little more decorated and a little more elevated than all of the other ones. Tapir pushed his way bossily into the crowd of ruffled RainWings, dragging Chameleon behind him with a grip what was surprisingly strong for such an old dragon. They entered the main anteroom, which was filled with a dappled green-gold light. Several tendrils of delicate flowers hung from the roof while larger blossoms wreathed the windows, white and blue and vibrant red - a RainWing with a curiously blank expression (Tamarin's father yeeee c: ) was arranging them, his talons nimble and precise as he threaded them into the side of the anteroom. A portly RainWing was coiled on a platform, playing with several sloths. Her talons were spattered with sticky papaya juice - even from where he was standing, Chameleon could smell her breath, which was thick with the stench of fruit. "I have brought it, Your Majesty," Tapir said, bowing elegantly. Chameleon tried to mimic him, but failed - the corners of Dazzling's mouth turned downwards, and she gave Chameleon an appraising look. "You're the dragon I'm getting so many complaints about," she said. "Yes, Your Royalness," he said. "I-I mean, Your Majesty. Your Highness. Ma'am." Dazzling blinked slowly, her thick talons fishing in a wooden bowl for a cluster of dates. "You're not very nice to look at," she said. "And that colour - ''putrid and ''abhorring..." She flicked her tail, which rippled into a royal blue. "You make dragons very uncomfortable, you know." Chameleon couldn't say anything. His vision was blurred and his eyes stung and the world was tilting around him and everything was going wrong... Category:Fanfictions Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete) Category:Fanfictions (Semi-Canon) Category:Content (Zephyr-the-Kraken008)